Part 32 (1/2)

”You can buy me out if you want,” he told Persis. ”I'll charge you a good price. But I never want to see any of this again.”

In Domino someone went first to minister to Tully, and he had been taken back to Jasper and was safe in bed at the Timberline recovering.

While we talked of these things over breakfast in Persis' room, she sat against her pillows, sipping milk laced with brandy. She looked weary, but pleased with herself.

”Now then,” she said when the telling was over, ”what about you two?”

That was a good question, but I didn't look at Jon, nor he at me.

She snorted indignantly. ”Go away then, both of you, and talk! I was never so backward when I was your age!”

Jon smiled at her, but his look was sober when he turned to me. ”Do you want to go for a walk, Laurie?”

I was in a mood to go anywhere he led me, no matter how tired I felt.

Persis held out a hand to each of us, and I bent to kiss her cheek. Caleb came into the hall as we left and held out his own hand, a bit hesitantly, as though he weren't sure I would take it. But I could forgive him now. I understood a little better.

Outdoors, we found the sun climbing high above the moun- J.

350.

tains, and I stood for a moment looking off toward Old Desolate.

Jon watched me quizzically. ”Maybe we'd better do as she says and talk a bit.”

I nodded, determination growing in me. Together, but not touching by so much as a finger-as though we'd never spent those frightening, tender hours in the mine-we followed the path to Jon's cabin. Red came with us joyfully, more sure than I was that we three belonged together.

Inside, when the fire leaped in the grate to Jon's satisfaction, throwing a rosy flicker over the room, we sat a bit stiffly on the couch, watching the flames. What a stubborn, impossible man he was!

”I'm sorry about Hillary,” he said at last. ”Sorry about all you must be feeling. Sorry if you loved him.”

”I thought I loved him. At first. But then I met a cowboy I've known all my life. A stubborn, impossible cowboy.”

”Don't, Laurie,” he said.

I'd had enough, and being a Morgan, I went right on. ”If you won't, then I must. It's hard to believe that you, of all people, would put money ahead of life.”

”Shut up,” he told me, but there was no sting in the words. ”I'll do my own talking-if you'll just listen. I don't like all that Morgan money behind you. I'm not all that liberated. But I love you, Laurie, no matter what. And I think maybe you'll fit in out here, after all, though I didn't expect that at first.”

”But I belong here-” I began to protest.

”Wait! You don't really know that yet. You haven't had a chance to live here under normal circ.u.mstances. There are all sorts of objections I could give you.”

I suppressed a desire to sputter out some objections of my own. Men could be so terribly slow. They came to conclusions through careful steps of logic-yet they were the same conclusions a woman flew to surely and instinctively, leaving the man behind with his plodding good sense. Now I must be careful and submit to logic.